Gary Chapman is well known as “The Love Language Man.” His New York Times book, The Five Love Languages, selling over 9 million copies, has become a classic. To have blissful relationships, showing love is a must. To have happy friends and co-workers, showing appreciation is essential. Recently, Dr. Chapman has embraced a second necessary ingredient for healthy relationships: dealing with offenses through apologies and forgiveness. In May, Gary Chapman and I released When Sorry Isn’t Enough, which tells readers how to make things right with anyone. We believe that these two books fit together like a hand in a glove. Both sets of tools are needed to make relationships work. Read More »

J.C. Penney launched a 30-second apology advertisement. This is rare. I give them credit for offering a mea culpa. However, they have much more work to do going forward. Our research showed that in order to convey sincerity to all types of listeners, public apologies should include these 5 parts: 1. Expressing regret- Saying “I’m […]

Quite unexpectedly, he approached me and volunteered he had acted poorly years before. He apologized he had said things about me he found out were not true, and he had been too proud at the time to apologize. I apologized, too, for my behavior. As a lawyer supposedly trained to bleed away emotion and vitriol, I should have looked past the other lawyer’s comments at the time. In retrospect, I have concluded my wrong was the larger of the two, a wrong compounded by the passage of the years. I had a clearer sight line on the issue, but I squandered it on a cheap angle: my own pride and anger. In one of life’s shadowy twists, it was the other lawyer who came to possess what I did not: humility. Read More »

Update: Joe Paterno died of cancer on Jan. 22, 2012. I specialize in handling offenses. To date, the Sandusky sexual abuse scandal in Pennsylvania has been long on offenses and short on apologies. Given the pending trial/s, I imagine the apologies will be held until any future sentencing hearing. In the meantime, here are my […]

On Tuesday, Levi Johnston offered a public apology to the Palin family. This public apology, he said, followed a private apology that he gave to Todd and Sarah Palin. Johnston offered the public apology via an interview with People Magazine. About his words: Here are the Five Languages of Apology that Gary Chapman and I […]

BP is running this TV ad that includes an apology from its CEO. The ad has not been entirely well-received, with many saying that the company should be using its money for this crisis, not for self-serving image management. In the ad, BP’s current CEO Tony Hayward makes these statements that reflect our five languages […]

This just in… News agencies are reporting that Charles Prince, former Chairman and Chief Executive of Citigroup, offered an apology today. A New York Times columnist says, “We are not buying it.” WHAT HE SAID: “I’m sorry the financial crisis has had such a devastating impact for our country…I’m sorry about the millions of people, […]

"My co-author Jennifer Thomas brings great expertise to interpersonal issues. She is an expert worth listening to if you want to maximize your relationships. " Gary Chapman, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Five Love Languages

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